to those who arrive at the door

they knock

as though they mean it

as though they want "in"

as though they have

the one true gizmo to make

your busy life a lot easier

something for the mantlepiece

a knick-knack present

sometimes to pay their belated condolences, or

to return a scarf long forgotten by time

some come carrying volumes of knowledge

inside their cases which grow out of date

from the moment of purchase

to present themselves at the door

polished and clean

knotted at the adam's apple

draped in dresses seen before

at anniversary celebrations

at the funeral parlors 

maybe a bloodline's there

a relation believing you'll like

that the've come to the door

as if the door from the dread of the inside

is the door to paradise on the outside

and when it’s opened they smile.